Investigating the effects of exam length on performance and cognitive fatigue
This study examined the effects of exam length on student performance and cognitive fatigue in an undergraduate biology classroom. Exams tested higher order thinking skills. To test our hypothesis, we administered standard- and extended-length high-level exams to two populations of non-majors biolog...
Gespeichert in:
| Veröffentlicht in: | PloS one 2013-08, Vol.8 (8), p.e70270-e70270 |
|---|---|
| Hauptverfasser: | , , |
| Format: | Artikel |
| Sprache: | eng |
| Schlagworte: | |
| Online-Zugang: | Volltext |
| Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
| container_end_page | e70270 |
|---|---|
| container_issue | 8 |
| container_start_page | e70270 |
| container_title | PloS one |
| container_volume | 8 |
| creator | Jensen, Jamie L Berry, Dane A Kummer, Tyler A |
| description | This study examined the effects of exam length on student performance and cognitive fatigue in an undergraduate biology classroom. Exams tested higher order thinking skills. To test our hypothesis, we administered standard- and extended-length high-level exams to two populations of non-majors biology students. We gathered exam performance data between conditions as well as performance on the first and second half of exams within conditions. We showed that lengthier exams led to better performance on assessment items shared between conditions, possibly lending support to the spreading activation theory. It also led to greater performance on the final exam, lending support to the testing effect in creative problem solving. Lengthier exams did not result in lower performance due to fatiguing conditions, although students perceived subjective fatigue. Implications of these findings are discussed with respect to assessment practices. |
| doi_str_mv | 10.1371/journal.pone.0070270 |
| format | Article |
| fullrecord | <record><control><sourceid>gale_plos_</sourceid><recordid>TN_cdi_plos_journals_1419788468</recordid><sourceformat>XML</sourceformat><sourcesystem>PC</sourcesystem><galeid>A478310888</galeid><doaj_id>oai_doaj_org_article_8c2f16b6e74345bdb4e84df88d9e167e</doaj_id><sourcerecordid>A478310888</sourcerecordid><originalsourceid>FETCH-LOGICAL-c692t-9d13539e076c199c5a87c0785aa9366eb9c2c0c889c24582c1372404211338203</originalsourceid><addsrcrecordid>eNqNkttr2zAUxs3YWLtu_8HYDIOxPSTTzbq8DErZJdBR2O1VKPKxo-BIqSWH7r-f0rglHn0YfpCRft93dI6-oniJ0RxTgT-sw9B70823wcMcIYGIQI-KU6womXGC6OOj_5PiWYxrhCoqOX9anBCqKqSwPC2-LfwOYnKtSc63ZVpBCU0DNsUyNCXcmE3ZgW_Tqgy-3ELfhH5jvIXS-Lq0ofUuuR2UTZa3AzwvnjSmi_BiXM-KX58__bz4Oru8-rK4OL-cWa5Imqka04oqQIJbrJStjBQWCVkZoyjnsFSWWGSlzCurJLG5YcIQIxhTKnM_Z8Xrg--2C1GPk4gaM6yElIzLTCwORB3MWm97tzH9Hx2M07cboW-16ZOzHWhpSYP5koNglFXLeslAsrqRslaAuYDs9XGsNiw3UFvwqTfdxHR64t1Kt2GnqWCYyP1l3o0Gfbge8rj1xkULXWc8hGF_b8IRJlyQjL75B324u5FqTW7A-SbkunZvqs-ZkBQjeVt2_gCVvxo2zubYNC7vTwTvJ4LMJLhJrRli1Isf3_-fvfo9Zd8esSswXVrF0A3JBR-nIDuAtg8x9tDcDxkjvU_93TT0PvV6TH2WvTp-oHvRXczpX0_F-sk</addsrcrecordid><sourcetype>Open Website</sourcetype><iscdi>true</iscdi><recordtype>article</recordtype><pqid>1419788468</pqid></control><display><type>article</type><title>Investigating the effects of exam length on performance and cognitive fatigue</title><source>MEDLINE</source><source>DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals</source><source>Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek - Frei zugängliche E-Journals</source><source>Public Library of Science (PLoS)</source><source>PubMed Central</source><source>Free Full-Text Journals in Chemistry</source><creator>Jensen, Jamie L ; Berry, Dane A ; Kummer, Tyler A</creator><contributor>Hermes-Lima, Marcelo</contributor><creatorcontrib>Jensen, Jamie L ; Berry, Dane A ; Kummer, Tyler A ; Hermes-Lima, Marcelo</creatorcontrib><description>This study examined the effects of exam length on student performance and cognitive fatigue in an undergraduate biology classroom. Exams tested higher order thinking skills. To test our hypothesis, we administered standard- and extended-length high-level exams to two populations of non-majors biology students. We gathered exam performance data between conditions as well as performance on the first and second half of exams within conditions. We showed that lengthier exams led to better performance on assessment items shared between conditions, possibly lending support to the spreading activation theory. It also led to greater performance on the final exam, lending support to the testing effect in creative problem solving. Lengthier exams did not result in lower performance due to fatiguing conditions, although students perceived subjective fatigue. Implications of these findings are discussed with respect to assessment practices.</description><identifier>ISSN: 1932-6203</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1932-6203</identifier><identifier>DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070270</identifier><identifier>PMID: 23950918</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>United States: Public Library of Science</publisher><subject>Academic achievement ; Adult ; Analysis ; Biology ; Biology - education ; Classrooms ; Cognition & reasoning ; Cognition - physiology ; Cognitive ability ; Core curriculum ; Critical thinking ; Educational Measurement ; Fatigue ; Fatigue tests ; Human subjects ; Humans ; Investigations ; Laboratories ; Learning ; Mental Fatigue - diagnosis ; Problem Solving ; Science education ; Social and Behavioral Sciences ; Students ; Students - psychology ; Studies ; Task Performance and Analysis ; Taxonomy ; Teaching ; Time Factors ; Young Adult</subject><ispartof>PloS one, 2013-08, Vol.8 (8), p.e70270-e70270</ispartof><rights>COPYRIGHT 2013 Public Library of Science</rights><rights>2013 Jensen et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.</rights><rights>2013 Jensen et al 2013 Jensen et al</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><oa>free_for_read</oa><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed><citedby>FETCH-LOGICAL-c692t-9d13539e076c199c5a87c0785aa9366eb9c2c0c889c24582c1372404211338203</citedby><cites>FETCH-LOGICAL-c692t-9d13539e076c199c5a87c0785aa9366eb9c2c0c889c24582c1372404211338203</cites></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><linktopdf>$$Uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3741288/pdf/$$EPDF$$P50$$Gpubmedcentral$$Hfree_for_read</linktopdf><linktohtml>$$Uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3741288/$$EHTML$$P50$$Gpubmedcentral$$Hfree_for_read</linktohtml><link.rule.ids>230,314,723,776,780,860,881,2095,2914,23846,27903,27904,53769,53771,79346,79347</link.rule.ids><backlink>$$Uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23950918$$D View this record in MEDLINE/PubMed$$Hfree_for_read</backlink></links><search><contributor>Hermes-Lima, Marcelo</contributor><creatorcontrib>Jensen, Jamie L</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Berry, Dane A</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kummer, Tyler A</creatorcontrib><title>Investigating the effects of exam length on performance and cognitive fatigue</title><title>PloS one</title><addtitle>PLoS One</addtitle><description>This study examined the effects of exam length on student performance and cognitive fatigue in an undergraduate biology classroom. Exams tested higher order thinking skills. To test our hypothesis, we administered standard- and extended-length high-level exams to two populations of non-majors biology students. We gathered exam performance data between conditions as well as performance on the first and second half of exams within conditions. We showed that lengthier exams led to better performance on assessment items shared between conditions, possibly lending support to the spreading activation theory. It also led to greater performance on the final exam, lending support to the testing effect in creative problem solving. Lengthier exams did not result in lower performance due to fatiguing conditions, although students perceived subjective fatigue. Implications of these findings are discussed with respect to assessment practices.</description><subject>Academic achievement</subject><subject>Adult</subject><subject>Analysis</subject><subject>Biology</subject><subject>Biology - education</subject><subject>Classrooms</subject><subject>Cognition & reasoning</subject><subject>Cognition - physiology</subject><subject>Cognitive ability</subject><subject>Core curriculum</subject><subject>Critical thinking</subject><subject>Educational Measurement</subject><subject>Fatigue</subject><subject>Fatigue tests</subject><subject>Human subjects</subject><subject>Humans</subject><subject>Investigations</subject><subject>Laboratories</subject><subject>Learning</subject><subject>Mental Fatigue - diagnosis</subject><subject>Problem Solving</subject><subject>Science education</subject><subject>Social and Behavioral Sciences</subject><subject>Students</subject><subject>Students - psychology</subject><subject>Studies</subject><subject>Task Performance and Analysis</subject><subject>Taxonomy</subject><subject>Teaching</subject><subject>Time Factors</subject><subject>Young Adult</subject><issn>1932-6203</issn><issn>1932-6203</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2013</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><sourceid>EIF</sourceid><sourceid>ABUWG</sourceid><sourceid>AFKRA</sourceid><sourceid>AZQEC</sourceid><sourceid>BENPR</sourceid><sourceid>CCPQU</sourceid><sourceid>DWQXO</sourceid><sourceid>GNUQQ</sourceid><sourceid>DOA</sourceid><recordid>eNqNkttr2zAUxs3YWLtu_8HYDIOxPSTTzbq8DErZJdBR2O1VKPKxo-BIqSWH7r-f0rglHn0YfpCRft93dI6-oniJ0RxTgT-sw9B70823wcMcIYGIQI-KU6womXGC6OOj_5PiWYxrhCoqOX9anBCqKqSwPC2-LfwOYnKtSc63ZVpBCU0DNsUyNCXcmE3ZgW_Tqgy-3ELfhH5jvIXS-Lq0ofUuuR2UTZa3AzwvnjSmi_BiXM-KX58__bz4Oru8-rK4OL-cWa5Imqka04oqQIJbrJStjBQWCVkZoyjnsFSWWGSlzCurJLG5YcIQIxhTKnM_Z8Xrg--2C1GPk4gaM6yElIzLTCwORB3MWm97tzH9Hx2M07cboW-16ZOzHWhpSYP5koNglFXLeslAsrqRslaAuYDs9XGsNiw3UFvwqTfdxHR64t1Kt2GnqWCYyP1l3o0Gfbge8rj1xkULXWc8hGF_b8IRJlyQjL75B324u5FqTW7A-SbkunZvqs-ZkBQjeVt2_gCVvxo2zubYNC7vTwTvJ4LMJLhJrRli1Isf3_-fvfo9Zd8esSswXVrF0A3JBR-nIDuAtg8x9tDcDxkjvU_93TT0PvV6TH2WvTp-oHvRXczpX0_F-sk</recordid><startdate>20130812</startdate><enddate>20130812</enddate><creator>Jensen, Jamie L</creator><creator>Berry, Dane A</creator><creator>Kummer, Tyler A</creator><general>Public Library of Science</general><general>Public Library of Science (PLoS)</general><scope>CGR</scope><scope>CUY</scope><scope>CVF</scope><scope>ECM</scope><scope>EIF</scope><scope>NPM</scope><scope>AAYXX</scope><scope>CITATION</scope><scope>IOV</scope><scope>ISR</scope><scope>3V.</scope><scope>7QG</scope><scope>7QL</scope><scope>7QO</scope><scope>7RV</scope><scope>7SN</scope><scope>7SS</scope><scope>7T5</scope><scope>7TG</scope><scope>7TM</scope><scope>7U9</scope><scope>7X2</scope><scope>7X7</scope><scope>7XB</scope><scope>88E</scope><scope>8AO</scope><scope>8C1</scope><scope>8FD</scope><scope>8FE</scope><scope>8FG</scope><scope>8FH</scope><scope>8FI</scope><scope>8FJ</scope><scope>8FK</scope><scope>ABJCF</scope><scope>ABUWG</scope><scope>AEUYN</scope><scope>AFKRA</scope><scope>ARAPS</scope><scope>ATCPS</scope><scope>AZQEC</scope><scope>BBNVY</scope><scope>BENPR</scope><scope>BGLVJ</scope><scope>BHPHI</scope><scope>C1K</scope><scope>CCPQU</scope><scope>D1I</scope><scope>DWQXO</scope><scope>FR3</scope><scope>FYUFA</scope><scope>GHDGH</scope><scope>GNUQQ</scope><scope>H94</scope><scope>HCIFZ</scope><scope>K9.</scope><scope>KB.</scope><scope>KB0</scope><scope>KL.</scope><scope>L6V</scope><scope>LK8</scope><scope>M0K</scope><scope>M0S</scope><scope>M1P</scope><scope>M7N</scope><scope>M7P</scope><scope>M7S</scope><scope>NAPCQ</scope><scope>P5Z</scope><scope>P62</scope><scope>P64</scope><scope>PATMY</scope><scope>PDBOC</scope><scope>PIMPY</scope><scope>PQEST</scope><scope>PQQKQ</scope><scope>PQUKI</scope><scope>PRINS</scope><scope>PTHSS</scope><scope>PYCSY</scope><scope>RC3</scope><scope>7X8</scope><scope>5PM</scope><scope>DOA</scope></search><sort><creationdate>20130812</creationdate><title>Investigating the effects of exam length on performance and cognitive fatigue</title><author>Jensen, Jamie L ; Berry, Dane A ; Kummer, Tyler A</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c692t-9d13539e076c199c5a87c0785aa9366eb9c2c0c889c24582c1372404211338203</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2013</creationdate><topic>Academic achievement</topic><topic>Adult</topic><topic>Analysis</topic><topic>Biology</topic><topic>Biology - education</topic><topic>Classrooms</topic><topic>Cognition & reasoning</topic><topic>Cognition - physiology</topic><topic>Cognitive ability</topic><topic>Core curriculum</topic><topic>Critical thinking</topic><topic>Educational Measurement</topic><topic>Fatigue</topic><topic>Fatigue tests</topic><topic>Human subjects</topic><topic>Humans</topic><topic>Investigations</topic><topic>Laboratories</topic><topic>Learning</topic><topic>Mental Fatigue - diagnosis</topic><topic>Problem Solving</topic><topic>Science education</topic><topic>Social and Behavioral Sciences</topic><topic>Students</topic><topic>Students - psychology</topic><topic>Studies</topic><topic>Task Performance and Analysis</topic><topic>Taxonomy</topic><topic>Teaching</topic><topic>Time Factors</topic><topic>Young Adult</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Jensen, Jamie L</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Berry, Dane A</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kummer, Tyler A</creatorcontrib><collection>Medline</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE (Ovid)</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>PubMed</collection><collection>CrossRef</collection><collection>Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints</collection><collection>Gale In Context: Science</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Corporate)</collection><collection>Animal Behavior Abstracts</collection><collection>Bacteriology Abstracts (Microbiology B)</collection><collection>Biotechnology Research Abstracts</collection><collection>Proquest Nursing & Allied Health Source</collection><collection>Ecology Abstracts</collection><collection>Entomology Abstracts (Full archive)</collection><collection>Immunology Abstracts</collection><collection>Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts</collection><collection>Nucleic Acids Abstracts</collection><collection>Virology and AIDS Abstracts</collection><collection>Agricultural Science Collection</collection><collection>Health & Medical Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (purchase pre-March 2016)</collection><collection>Medical Database (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest Pharma Collection</collection><collection>Public Health Database</collection><collection>Technology Research Database</collection><collection>ProQuest SciTech Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Technology Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Natural Science Collection</collection><collection>Hospital Premium Collection</collection><collection>Hospital Premium Collection (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Alumni) (purchase pre-March 2016)</collection><collection>Materials Science & Engineering Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest One Sustainability</collection><collection>ProQuest Central UK/Ireland</collection><collection>Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Collection</collection><collection>Agricultural & Environmental Science Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Essentials</collection><collection>Biological Science Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central</collection><collection>Technology Collection (ProQuest)</collection><collection>Natural Science Collection (ProQuest)</collection><collection>Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management</collection><collection>ProQuest One Community College</collection><collection>ProQuest Materials Science Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Korea</collection><collection>Engineering Research Database</collection><collection>Health Research Premium Collection</collection><collection>Health Research Premium Collection (Alumni)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Student</collection><collection>AIDS and Cancer Research Abstracts</collection><collection>SciTech Premium Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Health & Medical Complete (Alumni)</collection><collection>Materials Science Database</collection><collection>Nursing & Allied Health Database (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts - Academic</collection><collection>ProQuest Engineering Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Biological Science Collection</collection><collection>Agricultural Science Database</collection><collection>Health & Medical Collection (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>Medical Database</collection><collection>Algology Mycology and Protozoology Abstracts (Microbiology C)</collection><collection>Biological Science Database</collection><collection>Engineering Database</collection><collection>Nursing & Allied Health Premium</collection><collection>Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Database</collection><collection>ProQuest Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Collection</collection><collection>Biotechnology and BioEngineering Abstracts</collection><collection>Environmental Science Database</collection><collection>Materials Science Collection</collection><collection>Publicly Available Content Database</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic Eastern Edition (DO NOT USE)</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic UKI Edition</collection><collection>ProQuest Central China</collection><collection>Engineering Collection</collection><collection>Environmental Science Collection</collection><collection>Genetics Abstracts</collection><collection>MEDLINE - Academic</collection><collection>PubMed Central (Full Participant titles)</collection><collection>DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals</collection><jtitle>PloS one</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Jensen, Jamie L</au><au>Berry, Dane A</au><au>Kummer, Tyler A</au><au>Hermes-Lima, Marcelo</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Investigating the effects of exam length on performance and cognitive fatigue</atitle><jtitle>PloS one</jtitle><addtitle>PLoS One</addtitle><date>2013-08-12</date><risdate>2013</risdate><volume>8</volume><issue>8</issue><spage>e70270</spage><epage>e70270</epage><pages>e70270-e70270</pages><issn>1932-6203</issn><eissn>1932-6203</eissn><abstract>This study examined the effects of exam length on student performance and cognitive fatigue in an undergraduate biology classroom. Exams tested higher order thinking skills. To test our hypothesis, we administered standard- and extended-length high-level exams to two populations of non-majors biology students. We gathered exam performance data between conditions as well as performance on the first and second half of exams within conditions. We showed that lengthier exams led to better performance on assessment items shared between conditions, possibly lending support to the spreading activation theory. It also led to greater performance on the final exam, lending support to the testing effect in creative problem solving. Lengthier exams did not result in lower performance due to fatiguing conditions, although students perceived subjective fatigue. Implications of these findings are discussed with respect to assessment practices.</abstract><cop>United States</cop><pub>Public Library of Science</pub><pmid>23950918</pmid><doi>10.1371/journal.pone.0070270</doi><tpages>e70270</tpages><oa>free_for_read</oa></addata></record> |
| fulltext | fulltext |
| identifier | ISSN: 1932-6203 |
| ispartof | PloS one, 2013-08, Vol.8 (8), p.e70270-e70270 |
| issn | 1932-6203 1932-6203 |
| language | eng |
| recordid | cdi_plos_journals_1419788468 |
| source | MEDLINE; DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals; Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek - Frei zugängliche E-Journals; Public Library of Science (PLoS); PubMed Central; Free Full-Text Journals in Chemistry |
| subjects | Academic achievement Adult Analysis Biology Biology - education Classrooms Cognition & reasoning Cognition - physiology Cognitive ability Core curriculum Critical thinking Educational Measurement Fatigue Fatigue tests Human subjects Humans Investigations Laboratories Learning Mental Fatigue - diagnosis Problem Solving Science education Social and Behavioral Sciences Students Students - psychology Studies Task Performance and Analysis Taxonomy Teaching Time Factors Young Adult |
| title | Investigating the effects of exam length on performance and cognitive fatigue |
| url | https://sfx.bib-bvb.de/sfx_tum?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_tim=2025-01-25T02%3A54%3A46IST&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=infofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com:primo3-Article-gale_plos_&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Investigating%20the%20effects%20of%20exam%20length%20on%20performance%20and%20cognitive%20fatigue&rft.jtitle=PloS%20one&rft.au=Jensen,%20Jamie%20L&rft.date=2013-08-12&rft.volume=8&rft.issue=8&rft.spage=e70270&rft.epage=e70270&rft.pages=e70270-e70270&rft.issn=1932-6203&rft.eissn=1932-6203&rft_id=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0070270&rft_dat=%3Cgale_plos_%3EA478310888%3C/gale_plos_%3E%3Curl%3E%3C/url%3E&disable_directlink=true&sfx.directlink=off&sfx.report_link=0&rft_id=info:oai/&rft_pqid=1419788468&rft_id=info:pmid/23950918&rft_galeid=A478310888&rft_doaj_id=oai_doaj_org_article_8c2f16b6e74345bdb4e84df88d9e167e&rfr_iscdi=true |